Rahwa, 42, is a mother of six children, four boys and two girls, and lives in a remote rural village in Ethiopia's Somali region. Her family of eight relies on small-scale agriculture, including crop production and livestock raising, for their livelihood. For their family, however, livestock comes first in terms of income and sustenance.
In recent times, recurrent failed rains, combined with high food prices in the local market have been a challenge. Save the Children, through its anticipatory action initiatives funded by Save the Children Korea (SCK) and in partnership with the local government, has been helping families in this area by providing improved crops and fodder seeds. This support has enabled families like Rahwa's to feed their livestock. Rahwa produces fodder and crops, the latter which are used for family consumption and selling of the surplus.
Strong quote:
“Insha’Allah, the rains will come, but until then, we have stocked enough Sudan Grass to provide our animals”.
How is Save the Children helping
Rahwa received supplementary animal feed, and instructions for preparation and use. With the new animal feed, Rahwa can feed her animals and provide milk for her children. The milk yield from the cows has increased, and the overall health of the animals is much better now.
From the half hectare of land where Rahwa planted maize, she was able to harvest the maize and feed some to her children and sell the surplus to buy household essentials.
Rahwa’s Story in her own words
"My name is Rahwa. My husband and I have six children together, and we all live here in a small village in the Somali region. We are an agro-pastoral community, so we heavily rely on small-scale farming and livestock raising for a living. However, due to the frequent failed rains in our locality, we have struggled to produce enough for our family of eight for the whole year. The dry spells also cause a critical shortage of water and pasture for our livestock.
The last time the area received any shower rain was about five or six months ago, and even then, the rain was insufficient to replenish the water ponds or regenerate the land. The small amount of pasture that grew here didn't last long due to the high influx of animals migrating from other locations.
Around October last year, during the short rainy season, we were provided with improved crops and fodder seeds by Save the Children. I cultivated them on 0.75 hectares of land. I planted maize seeds on half a hectare, and on the remaining 0.25 hectares, I planted animal fodder, Sudan grass, which I have been feeding to my livestock for the past two months. From the half hectare of land where I planted maize, I was able to harvest more than 15 quintals of maize. I used some to feed my children, and I sold the surplus at the local market and used the income for other household necessities
Thankfully, all our livestock are doing well because of the support (improved crop and fodder seeds) we have received. I still have some fodder left from the last harvest, which I have been giving to my livestock during the current long dry season.
Insha’Allah (God willing), the GU rains (March to May) are expected to arrive in twenty days. Then the water ponds will be replenished, the land will regenerate, and our livestock will have enough water and pasture to survive.
For the next rainy season, I want to expand my fodder farm to at least half a hectare. With the improved varieties of livestock fodder, we can now ensure that our livestock are well-fed even during dry periods. This stability means we have a more reliable source of food and income.
We are truly grateful to Allah for protecting our family and to Save the Children and it partners= for their support with improved crops and fodder seeds. Without this support, we would not have been able to save our breeding livestock nor survive this prolonged dry period."
Project Background
In the arid lands of the rural communities of the Somali region, pastoralist families like Rahwa’s have long faced the harsh realities of climate change, prolonged dry spells, diminishing water sources, and the loss of livestock, which are their main source of food and income. These recurring climate-induced water scarcities and pasture deficits threaten not only the survival of their animals but also the health and well-being of their children.
Save the Children prioritizes proactive engagement in co-developing localized anticipatory action, ensuring that children remain at the center of both planning and implementation. Through key alliances and various projects, Save the Children contributes to a broader risk management strategy designed to protect vulnerable children and communities in Ethiopia from the impacts of floods, dry weather conditions, and other climate-induced hazards.
Through its anticipatory action project, with funding support from SCK, in partnership with local government sector offices, and with full participation of the community, Save the Children implemented an integrated climate-smart agricultural initiative. This included the provision of improved crops and animal fodder seeds, water trucking to communities facing a critical shortage of drinking water, and provision of improved supplementary animal feed to save core breeding animals during extended dry periods.
To date, we have reached 420 households through the provision of improved crops and fodder seeds and supplementary animal feed enabling them to cultivate enough fodder on a total of 100 hectares of fodder to reduce the negative impacts of drought conditions. With the improved crop and fodder, they produced, families in this area were able to feed their animals to sustain and project livestock assets, harvest seeds to expand their plantations, store some reserves for the dry season and sell the surplus seeds they harvested.
For mothers like Rahwa* this support has meant that even in the face of harsh conditions, her family can keep their livestock alive, secure enough milk for her children, and build a more resilient future.
Rahwa* with maize grain that she harvested from her half-hectare farm as she prepares corn porridge for her children. Thanks to improved seeds provided by Save the Children, she harvested fifteen quintals of corn this farming season. Seifu Asseged/Save the Children
